Your Daily Dozen

Here is a great question for storytellers and other performers:

How many marketing contacts will you make today?  ONE?  FIVE?

Let me make a recommendation and suggest you start your marketing each day by planning a "DAILY DOZEN".

Though doing a dozen pushups, pullups, squats or running a dozen blocks is great for your health, if you want to increase the number of gigs you get, try my Daily Dozen.

What is the world is My Daily Dozen?

Simple. A Daily Dozen is a dozen contacts each day to find paying gigs.

What kind of contacts?

Whatever you want them to be!  Send out a dozen postcards, letters or brochures. Make a dozen first contact or follow up phone calls, hand out a dozen business cards, or better yet, a dozen post cards. My preference is 12 postcards each day (followups are not a part of this count for me and are separate).

Mix it up. Send our six post cards and do follow up call to six places you sent post cards to. Just do something each day on a regular basis and be consistent about your marketing every day.

I know it doesn't sound like much, but 12 contacts each day means 60 each week, 240+ contacts each month.

That is 3,120 contacts in the next year.

Sure, you won't get 3,000 gigs, but what if ONE PERCENT of those contacts turned into paying gigs? 

Would your calendar look better with 31 additional gigs? 

How about your pocketbook?

Dressing for Success?

Recently there was an online discussion on a list of storytellers about costumes, appropriate dress and "storyteller traditional garb".  It was interesting to say the least.  It also was informative.

It touched on the edges of marketing and developing a "brand", but it missed some important points (in my opinion).  Performers need to remember that the folks that hire them don't want negative feedback about an event.  They don't want paying customers to walk away and talk about how someone looked.  They want paying customers to be entertained.  They want a great event. 

AND YOU WANT TO BE REHIRED!!

Since this is my soapbox, I want to make mention of a few of these.

First of all to the most important point!  Storytellers and other performers do themselves NO favors by wearing wrinkled, dirty or inappropriate clothing.  Wearing jeans to perform is fine.  Just be sure to wear clean ones.  Treat them like a stage costume and set them aside from everyday wear.  Don't do your painting or garden work in them.  Tee shirts should be treated the same way if you wear them on stage.  Wrinkled or "thrice worn" and pulled out of the pile may be overlooked by college kids, but may turn off the folks who PAY you.  Remember them?  They actually have a dog in this fight (more about them later).

Ill fitting clothing is one of the horrors I see on stage for all types of performers.  I was at an event lately and a band had a musician who thought he still wore the same pant size as he did in college.  Unfortunately his waistband was significantly lower than his belly (which was pretty large and hung over his belt like an avalanche waiting to break loose).  His shirt buttons were stretched tight and his shirt tail too short to cover his hang over.  the gentleman wore no tee shirt under his shirt and eventually his hairy belly became a star attraction on stage.

Then there is the dear woman who sat on stage and kept leaning over as if to whisper secrets to her audience.  It was a great performance... but her blouse was a bit too low cut and her "have mercies" became the focus of many who wondered if they would overcome their imprisonment and escape.  Low cut is one thing, just remember this is not a night club.

Two of my most popular programs are of characters, Mark Twain and Buffalo Bill Cody.  I researched and put together costumes that fit the appearance pretty well.  Most tellers do not wear costumes, but have some type of clothing they prefer.  Most wear comfortable clothing or perhaps a piece or two that is part of their brand. (Bil Lepp in jeans, tee shirt and ball cap, or Donald Davis in bow tie and nattily dressed for example)

 As a storyteller I began my "career" telling Appalachian stories and wearing a fedora style hat.  I still do that as part of my brand.  I have lots of hats, lots and lots because I like hats.  These days when I am just me I wear a hat most of the time (not always), nice slacks, usually a white long sleeve shirt and some type of vest.

I like vests.  I wear them off stage too.  I have quite a few vests, actually and wear some type of vest most days in winter.  I don't wear sweaters much, not my preference.  So, why wear them onstage?  First of all, as I tell audiences, they are like "guy girdles".  They help a middle aged (or older) guy keep the love handles contained.  Hopefully they do make us look slimmer.  Lots of storytellers wear vests and hats.  It has almost become "traditional storyteller garb"

Several tellers noted that women storytellers often dress better than men dress for telling.  I would agree and suspect many men don't even give it a second thought.  I wonder if their careers would be better of they did?  I wonder if those who hire them care.

A couple tellers also mentioned that THE STORY is most important.  Yep, I agree.  However, distraction can take away from the story, can hurt the performance and might even be something that causes one not to be rehired in the future.

So, the take away?  Dress comfortably, do what you want, wear a kilt if appropriate to your stories for goodness sakes.  DO dress for success.  Do make sure your clothing fits well, is clean and not pulled from a pile of twice or thrice worn clothing in the corner of some dormitory room. 

As you market yourself try to remember that you are selling a product.  Companies spend millions of dollars getting just the right colors, fonts, package shape and even smell of a product.  Believe it or not shelf position has an impact on sales.

If all that is true... then do you really think what you wear for a performance DOES NOT MATTER?

Just sayin'.

Paradox of Choice

Ever hear of the "Paradox of Choice"?  No?  I guess it is not something most performers and storytellers sit around and talk about as they have a cup of coffee together.  I've never seen a bunch of tellers finish a great night of stories and have someone turn and say, "Hey, let;s grab a RC Cola and some Moon Pies and sit up all night talking about the Paradox of Choice!".

So what is it?  Well, to put it simply, consumers get stressed when there are too many choices and products perform better when there are fewer choices.


In other words, if you make coffee mugs and offer 21 different colors, 7 different shapes and 5 handle designs you may be doing yourself an injustice with buyers.

It is likely you would do just as well or better with two or three choices.  The same is true in a selling situation.  When I was a Sales Manager we taught Sales Reps to talk about no more than two or three products (pharmaceuticals) and to feature just one and make passing mention of the others.

Too much information clouds the decision making process and can often cause the buyer to shut down.

What does this mean for you as a storyteller?  Well, it is an old drum I have beat on before with you.  As you market don't use brochures that list every program you have ever developed.  I've done it, you have too!  We print these lovely AND expensive brochures  with lots of choices.

I EVEN HAD A "MAKE YOUR OWN PROGRAM" CHOICE IN THE LIST!

Instead I now develop programs aimed at specific markets and promote ONE program or perhaps two when I contact them.  For example, as I added Buffalo Bill Cody to my list of programs I made contact with every venue that I performed as Mark Twain.  A simple postcard to those venues brought in quite a few gigs. I've done several hundred Twain gigs over the past few years and each one is a "hot prospect".

I've successfully done the same thing with other programs at these venues.  Instead of one gig and done, I've "sold" a series of programs to them... Twain, Celtic programs, Patriotic programs and of course my favorite - Mountain stories about my Cousin Peanut and his off kilter kinfolks.

You see, if I had listed all these programs and given them a brochure they might not have contacted me and asked for any of the listings.  When I eliminate the multiple choices and offer one at a time they call quite often!

WHY?  First of all it is easier for them to see one choice and decide to contact me for that particular program.  Second, by sending out a postcard about one program and tying it to a time of year it also can give a sense of urgency.  "Better call now to schedule that Celtic program for March or I might not get on Stephen's calendar".

So what do you do now?  Plan specific campaigns for specific programs.  Plan your marketing with a calendar at hand.  Give yourself a lot of lead time so you can make multiple contacts to targeted venues.

I do a postcard first, follow up with an e-mail if I have an e-mail address and often a third contact with a phone call or another postcard, especially if I am on the road and will be in a certain area.

The second postcard in that situation often has a label on the front noting I will be in their area on a certain week and have dates and times still available.  If I am not traveling I will still do a label (often a gold label) mentioning I still have great dates available.

Yes, it takes some coordination and yes, I do overlap campaigns as I market to several types of venues at once.  But it gave me 130+ gigs each year for the past several years.

Try it... You'll like it!

UPDATE: As requested, I am sharing a postcard I did a while back that I aimed at a specific market - preschools and kindergartens.  The front of the postcard is bright with some primary colors.  The figures are simple drawings and I emphasize Princess Stories - for little girls, of course.  I think this was sent out at the time that "Tangled", Disney's Rapunzel remake was coming out.

 and the back emphasizes learning, good deeds (values and morals) listening and communications skills.  I also throw a little hook... I can dress up for the program.  That caught the attention of several teachers and helped get several gigs.

Know Your Customer

The last blog was pretty much a rehash of my post in early December so I could introduce the next piece of the planning puzzle.  It is an important part and needs to be well thought out if you want to have your calendar filled with gigs year round.  What is the next piece of the puzzle?

Knowledge!

As I mentioned in the last blog, when libraries plan for their Summer Reading Program they often set their programs in the fall for the next summer.  Some of their planning is probably in response to their receiving the Collaborative Summer Library Program guide in the fall.  They need to plan and submit budgets for the next year.  If your program is not part of that budget your marketing won't do much good.

So, how much lead time is needed?  Who makes the decisions? Some of that depends on the venue, but there is more to this part of your planning.  Rather than a shotgun approach, why not fine tune your prospects?  Talk to them and get an idea as to when they plan programs and events!  

In the business world this is called, "KNOW YOUR CUSTOMER". Know what types of programs a segment of the market plans, how much they pay for programs, when most of their programs take place.  Talk to other performers, to those who plan programs in that type of venue.

Build a prospect list!  Gather info on the venues and keep it handy. I'm talking about contact info including contact names, addresses, phone numbers AND the above information.  

Develop a spread sheet with this info.  Add to it dates you contacted the venue and what your did.  If you get a gig... make a note of it.

Better yet, why not use a CRM program- Customer Relationship Management program to keep the info!  You will be amazed at how efficient - and productive you can be.

End of the Year "Thank You"

Twenty days are left in the year!  Hard to believe, right?

Now, I know you are already finishing up all your marketing plans for 2013, but there is one item that should be on your "to do" list for 2012.

Why not take a moment and send a simple note or  "Thank You" note to each venue or person that hired you this year?  I am not suggesting anything complicated or extreme.

Also, don't make it about marketing or selling something else.  Remember, these are the folks that paid you, that hired you, that believed in you enough to schedule a gig.  For that we should ALWAYS be grateful.

My personal choice would be for you to HAND WRITE each note. Hand written notes say so much about you and go so much further in expressing gratitude.  If you don't have time to hand write a note do what you can... but DO IT!

Last of all, HAND ADDRESS each envelope.  Make it personal for the holiday season.  

Take the time to do it right.  Who knows, it might get you a gig or two in the future!

Storytelling White Sale

What does your first quarter look like for next year?

Do you have the number of gigs you want?  Is the calendar full? 

Do your coffers jingle with coin of the realm?



NO?  Then what are you doing about it?


First quarter tends to be slow for me.  December was always slow for me... so I created Storytelling Santa and I don't have too many days off in December.  I try to take time off to rest and recover after a crazy December schedule.

I try also to find opportunities for that cold and dreary first quarter with PROGRAMS that fit seasonal needs.

How about marketing "Stories to Warm the Soul on Cold Winter Nights" and offering special pricing for January?

Try Stories about Marriage and Love for February and Valentines Day, stories about freedom and equality for the days surrounding Martin Luther King Day.  Celtic and Irish stories (my heritage after all) for March and St. Patrick's Day?

 Ever wonder why WHITE SALES are in January?  Because the stores want you to have a reason to shop in January!!!

So, why not create a "WHITE SALE" of your own and find opportunities during those slow months??

Your 2013 Calendar

My first question for this morning: DO YOU HAVE A 2013 CALENDAR YET?

My second: IF NOT - WHY NOT?

I personally use 18 month calendars (I do not like online, computer or phone apps. I want to see the months laid out so I can plan) and buy them in the summer so I can begin to plan for the next year early.  I often schedule a year in advance, so I do need the calendar for next year for that reason.

The other reason is that we need to be blocking your calendar and planning your marketing ahead of time.  If you haven't started yet... GET ONE AND START NOW!!!

What do I mean by that?  Take a look at your calendar, at holidays and seasons and begin to think of programming for those dates and seasons.  October is a good example.  Many storytellers have a full calendar of scary stories, right?  Well, maybe weekends, but what about weekdays?  Are there opportunities you might be missing?  I try to actually promote scary stories for a 6 week period from September 15th through all of October.

How about stories of love and romance for February, Celtic/Irish stories for March or patriotic stories for June/July and Veteran's Day?  

Summer Reading Program is June and July mostly.  However, many libraries book programs in the fall for the next year!  Yep, I am already booking for June and July for Summer Reading Programs

In my particular case I block November 15th through Christmas Eve for Storytelling Santa (and I also know I need to start bleaching my mustache no later than November 1st so I will be ready for gigs by November 15th)

So you do see that your calendar is one of your most important marketing tools?  By looking at a few dates, holidays and seasons with me you have already started your marketing plan for 2013!

Now finish up with your calendar and get busy!

Branded by Who?

In my last post I ended by the question that I will divide into two parts:  

WHO ARE YOU?        

                                    WHAT DO YOU DO?

I am not talking about an elevator speech here, though those questions are the ones always asked when you learn to put together an elevator speech.  Oh, an elevator speech is how you would answer those questions in a short period and in just a few concise sentences as your ride a couple floors up or down in an elevator.

I know, that happens so many times on elevators these days.  It is good to know how to answer those questions without making it obvious you are a storyteller who tells only epic stories and needs 15 minutes just for the intro to the story.

An important part of marketing is simply being able to define those questions.  They will help you gain focus on what you want to do as a storyteller or performer.  They help you define who you are in the storytelling world.  They are, in a sense your back story - that part of any story that the author knows but does not necessarily write into the story.  Your back story also sets boundaries for your storytelling. 

Take the "Who are you?" question;

In my case, I will answer that I am Appalachian, unashamedly Christian and a mountain boy at heart.  For those reasons I do not tell creation stories from other religions, sometimes include hunting and fishing in my stories because I grew up doing those things and they are a part of who I am.

I will not play the dumb hillbilly, as you might have heard me say at some point, "I am not Jethro or Lil Abner.  I come from a proud people.  They were not ignorant, stupid, lazy or dirty.  I will not dress as such and will not poke fun at my roots.  I will also be pretty offended if you do."

That begins to define who I am and helps me determine the types of stories that I will write or tell.  As I have mentioned before, I stopped calling myself an Appalachian Storyteller because it limited the types of stories others PERCEIVED that I told.

Asking "Who Am I?" can also help you to define your mission statement and begin to build your business and marketing plan.  How?  Simple actually because it can help you to identify groups and audiences that you have things in common with!

Define who you are and then start looking within a 30 mile radius around your home base for audiences!

Sort of makes sense, doesn't it?

What's In A Name?

I suspect one of the most misunderstood names - or titles I have ever used is "Storyteller".  Every sort of entertainment person latches on to it from movie directors to musicians.  So many folks suggest they are storytellers through their novels, music, television shows, movies and even art.

According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary the first recorded use of the word storyteller was in 1709.  Synonyms there include: fabricator, fabulist, fibber, prevaricator and liar.  Make you feel good, right?

Thesaurus.com is a little better for synonyms:bard, fabler, minstrel and my favorite - raconteur, among others.

My friend Jackie at story-lovers.com has a whole page of names and definitions i enjoyed reading:  
http://www.story-lovers.com/listsstorytellernames.html

All that to make this point: Who are you and what do you do?

WHAT EXACTLY IS A STORYTELLER?

You better be able to articulate this and do it well if you plan on growing your business!  Answering those two questions will help you define your BRAND.

If you don't develop your Brand others will!  So, what is that?

It is simply how you define yourself, your services, the things that make you stand out from the crowd. It is your identity defined and even symbolized... like the Nike "swoosh", Coke, McDonalds.  These are all names of companies that spend a lot of time defining who they are in the marketplace.

Why is that important to you?  Because if you know who you are and what you do - you can have the same message, look and product through all your marketing!

And you might even get more gigs with a little better clarity!

Gigs happen OFFLINE!

One of the things I hope storytellers and other performers do not forget is that GIGS happen OFFLINE.  

 There is so much advice flowing around right now about "online presence", "building a platform", "using social media for business" that it is easy to get caught up in the mistaken idea that you do not need to work offline to fill your calendar.

I doubt that any of the social media gurus really are saying that social media can take the place of good old common sense and hard work to build a business.  Their intent is to make you better at those aspects of building your business. You absolutely need to remember two KEYS to success:

First - PEOPLE BUY FROM PEOPLE!  You are your best marketing tool.  Prospective customers need to hear your voice, talk with you, see that you are interested and interesting.

Second - the internet is INBOUND and works only if a customer is looking for something.  You also have to do OUTBOUND marketing and go after customers.  You need to identify opportunities, make contact, have a call to action in all your marketing pieces and ASK FOR BUSINESS.

As you know, one of my favorite methods is postcard marketing.  It is not just sending out a shotgun blast of un-targeted postcards.  It takes time and a little research to find those opportunities.

So, take the time to draw a 30, 60 and 90 mile circle around your home base.  Start in the 30 mile circle and find the possible venues.  Think outside the box, make lists and make contact.

You might surprise yourself and get a gig.

Mad Marketing Rush Begins Today

Saturday was the Hard Times Marketing Workshop.  It was a great day and lots for all who participated to think about and do!  I have one more week of Summer Tour and will be in Erie, Pennsylvania, Westlake, Ohio and along the coastline of Lake Erie in a few days.

Today I begin another Mad Marketing Rush and am inviting them... and you to join me and see what happens.  ARE YOU IN?

Here is how I plan to begin and how you can do your own Mad Marketing Rush:

• Select one or two PROGRAMS to market heavily for the next 30, 60 or 90 days.  If you need time to prepare, that is fine.  Just start now getting things ready.
• If you have postcards for those programs great!  If not, go to Vistaprint.com to design and order program specific postcards.  Be sure to have a CALL TO ACTION like "Call Now To Book" or perhaps, "Ask about special Early Bird Booking Rates".
• Take his week to select venues within a 30, 60, 90 minute circle around your home base.  Begin with the venues within the 30 minute circle.  Get specific names, if possible.
• Plan on mailing 10-20 postcards weekly.
• Follow up either by e-mail or phone to each contact.

Last - Let others know about your successes!

Let me know... ARE YOU IN?